What happened on this day, March 31 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.
1956
American driver Kevin Cogan was born on this day, 1956, in Culver City, California. Despite attempts, he failed to qualify for the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix with RAM or the 1981 United States Grand Prix West with Tyrrell. He then moved over to Indy cars in 1982, but his career was cut short by a series of accidents.
1996
Williams driver Damon Hill reached his 15th F1 victory at the 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix, beating his father’s (Graham Hill) record of F1 wins.
Starting from pole was advantageous as a heavy rainstorm began just before the race, allowing him to avoid the visibility issues that plagued other drivers down the field. “When I first went out, a bolt of lightning hit the track in front of me,” Hill said. Jean Alesi was second for Benetton, and Michael Schumacher was third for Ferrari.
Two local drivers, Tarso Marques (in his debut race) and Pedro Diniz, had their qualifying times disallowed for a push-start and missing a weight check. However, they were allowed to start from the back of the grid on race day.
1996 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Damon Hill | Williams Renault | 71 | 1:49:52.976 | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Jean Alesi | Benetton Renault | 71 | +17.982s | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 4 | 7 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell Yamaha | 70 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 9 | Olivier Panis | Ligier Mugen Honda | 70 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | Pedro Diniz | Ligier Mugen Honda | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 18 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell Yamaha | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Pedro Lamy | Minardi Ford | 68 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 22 | Luca Badoer | Forti Ford | 67 | +4 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Martin Brundle | Jordan Peugeot | 64 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan Peugeot | 59 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 15 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber Ford | 36 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 29 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber Ford | 28 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 6 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Renault | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 4 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton Renault | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Andrea Montermini | Forti Ford | 26 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Ricardo Rosset | Footwork Hart | 24 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 17 | Jos Verstappen | Footwork Hart | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Tarso Marques | Minardi Ford | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2002
During the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix, a public relations opportunity arose when Pelé was invited to wave the checkered flag. The legendary footballer was attending one of Brazil’s premier sports events. The task seemed simple, with minimal complexity involved. However, due to a lack of a detailed explanation of Formula One specifics, Pelé missed the moment when Michael Schumacher crossed the finish line, busy talking with officials.
Upon realising his mistake, he waved the flag for the next driver, Takuma Sato, who was two laps behind Schumacher—ironically, this gesture ‘technically’ signalled Sato as the winner. Despite the mishap, Schumacher won and took his 100th F1 podium. A record at the time, and gave the Ferrari F2002 car its first win.
Ralf Schumacher finished second for the Williams team, with David Coulthard third in a McLaren. Michael Schumacher’s win was his second of the season, his fourth and final at Interlagos, and another 1-2 for the Schumacher brothers.
2002 Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 71 | 1:31:43.663 | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams BMW | 71 | +0.588s | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | +59.109s | 4 |
| 4 | 15 | Jenson Button | Renault | 71 | +66.883s | 3 |
| 5 | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams BMW | 71 | +67.563s | 2 |
| 6 | 24 | Mika Salo | Toyota | 70 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | Eddie Irvine | Jaguar Cosworth | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | Pedro de la Rosa | Jaguar Cosworth | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | 10 | Takuma Sato | Jordan Honda | 69 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 11 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR Honda | 68 | DNF | 0 |
| 11 | 23 | Mark Webber | Minardi Asiatech | 68 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren Mercedes | 67 | DNF | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Alex Yoong | Minardi Asiatech | 67 | +4 laps | 0 |
| NC | 7 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber Petronas | 61 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 60 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Felipe Massa | Sauber Petronas | 41 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Allan McNish | Toyota | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Olivier Panis | BAR Honda | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 20 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Arrows Cosworth | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 21 | Enrique Bernoldi | Arrows Cosworth | 19 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan Honda | 6 | DNF | 0 |
2019
Before the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, an extra DRS zone was introduced between turns 3 and 4 to encourage more overtaking opportunities. The race saw Lewis Hamilton secure the win, closely followed by his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Charles Leclerc earned his first Formula 1 podium by finishing third, the first World Championship podium for a Monegasque driver since Louis Chiron in 1950. Leclerc also took the fastest lap of the race.
Leclerc’s teammate, Sebastian Vettel, had led the race and, on lap 38, Hamilton made a move around the outside at turn 4. Vettel went into a spin on the corner exit, saying he was surprised and lost the rear of the car. In the process, he flat-spotted his tyres, causing severe vibration, leading to a dramatic front wing failure. Pitting to replace the front wing dropped him to 9th place. He would eventually climb back to 5th.
2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | 1:34:21.295 | 25 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 57 | +2.980s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 57 | +6.131s | 16 |
| 4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 57 | +6.408s | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 57 | +36.068s | 10 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 57 | +45.754s | 8 |
| 7 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 57 | +47.470s | 6 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing Honda | 57 | +58.094s | 4 |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 57 | +62.697s | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 57 | +63.696s | 1 |
| 11 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 57 | +64.599s | 0 |
| 12 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 55 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| 18 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| 19 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| Charles Leclerc scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. | ||||||
F1 Driver Birthdays 31 March
| Birthday | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1956 | Kevin Cogan |
F1 Driver Deaths 31 March
| Death | F1 Driver |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2016 | Bertil Roos (d. 1943) |
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